The human rights record of the United Kingdom will be put before the United Nations’ Human Rights Council under its process of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) this Thursday May 24 in Geneva.

Migrants’ Rights Scotland is very pleased to support the Human Rights Consortium Scotland (HRCS) by co-hosting the UN webcast live from Geneva on Thursday 24th May 2012, together with the Centre for Rural Childhood, Perth College UHI.

Date: Thursday, 24th May 2012

Times: 8.00am-12.00pm

Venue: Centre for Rural Childhood, Perth College UHI, Perth PH1 2NX

During the live webcast of the Hearing, the UK will report its human rights record to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. The UPR process is a relatively new and unique Human Rights Council procedure in which all 192 UN Member States have the whole range of their human rights records reviewed by other States. Its aim is to hold States to account for human rights violations, and to increase international visibility of countries’ human rights situations using a cooperative and fair process. Each country is reviewed every four years, and the first review of the UK was in 2008.

Pat Elsmie, Chair of Migrants’ Rights Scotland says, “We are delighted to co-host this event and raise awareness of human rights here in Scotland. The promotion and realization of human rights is central to the work of Migrants’ Rights Scotland as human rights apply to everybody irrespective of citizenship and immigration status, which means that all migrants in the UK, like everybody else, are entitled to protection of those universal and inalienable rights.”

To accommodate the early start of 8.00 am (9.00 am in Geneva), coffee and croissants will be available. A facilitated discussion will follow the webcast from 11.30 am to 12.00 noon.

Anyone wishing to attend the webcasts in Glasgow or Edinburgh should register with the individual venue hosts by 10am on Wednesday (May 23).

“The live webcasts are a further opportunity for more civil society organisations and those interested in the role of human rights in Scotland and the wider UK to increase their participation in this important assessment of the human rights conditions for all who live within UK jurisdiction,” says Carole Ewart, Chair of the HRCS.

More info:

Briefing papers on the process and submissions made by Scottish groups and the HRCS will be available at webcast venues. You can also find them below:

The Universal Periodic Review of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland was concluded on 30 May with the adoption of the Draft Report of the Working Group, which will receive its formal adoption in the Plenary Session of the Human Rights Council in September.

Updates

Migrants' Rights Scotland is a not-for-profit company registered in Scotland: 376122.
Information is provided on these pages in the interest of sharing and awareness-raising. Full disclaimer provided below:
Disclaimer